Tool for positioning matched planking



R. W. PORTER TOOL FOR POSITIONING MATCHED PLANKING Filed Jan. 9, 1952 F222 if 9m @5 May l, 1956 INVEN TOR. W P0@ 7E@ A TTORNE Y United States Patent O TooL FOR PosmoNING'MATcHED PLANKING 'Reese W. Porter, Bismarck-,1N. Dak. Application January s, i952, serial No. 265,583 s claims. (ci. 25a-1s) This invention relates to a device for joining matched timbers in the laying of oors, construction of walls and other such uses.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a flooring tool of simple construction having but two moving parts and designed to exert a force tending to interengage the tongue and groove of liooring timbers by foot pressure applied to a treadle by a workman preparatory to nailing a loose timber in juxtaposition to timbers already in position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tool for positioning matched planking wherever used, consisting of an anchor plate having a surface covered by sharp prominences adapted to penetrate slightly the surface of the fixed planking and equipped with a draw-bar having a lip engageable with the edge of a length of loose planking and movable through the medium of a pivoted lever and treadle to urge an edge of the loose planking into juxtaposition with a confronting edge of the fixed planking.

Other objects will appear as the description proceeds,

taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,

wherein:

Figure 1 is a top perspective View of a tool for positioning matched planking constructed according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the tool applied, and

Figure 4 is a side elevational view showing the draw bar in a position rearwardly of the base member.

Continuing with a more detailed description of the drawing, reference numeral denotes a base member which has affixed to or formed on its undersurface an anchor plate 11 having a face covered by sharp prominences 12 which are inclined toward one end of the anchor plate. The anchor plate may consist of a conventional blacksmiths rasp and aflixed by screws 13 to the member 10, or it may be produced by perforating a metal sheet so that points are formed and directed toward one end of the device for the purpose to be presently explained. It is also possible to attain good results by forming the base member 10 of metal and striking from the bottom thereof the points adapted to penetrate the surface of the planking to hold the base member against slipping thereon.

In the form of the invention shown, an elevated portion 14 is formed on one end of the base member 10 which has a bolt 15 extending transversely therethrough. A bell crank 16 is disposed on each side of the base member 10, each bell crank having an aperture at its angle receiving a protruding end of the bolt 15 and the bell cranks are held in position by nuts 17 threaded onto the ends of the bolt 15. Each bell crank 16 is formed with an extension 18, these extensions being aiiixed by means of bolts or screws 19 to the sides of a treadle 20. The lower arms 21 of the bell cranks 16 are each pivotally connected ICC 2 by a bolt 22 to a rearwardly extending leg A23 of a drawbar 26 which straddles the base member 10 and lie's generally in longitudinal alignment with the base member. A

4work engaging lip or downwardly and rearwardly projecting 'flange 27 is aiiixed to or formed on the lforward end of the draw-bar 26.

The base member 10 has a recess y28 therein which receives the lower end of a coil spring 29, the upper end of the spring being retained in a like recess, not shown in the underside of the treadle. The purpose of the spring is to return the treadle to its original position after having been depressed.

In operation, the tool is positioned so that the anchor plate 11 will rest on the planking already nailed 'to the joists, in the case of liooring, or to the studs 'if the device is used for aligning wall planking. The lip or ange 2 7 of the draw-bar 26 is placed against the free edge of the length of planking about to be nailed and which is disposed so that its groove will match the tongue of the next adjacent planking. The treadle 20 is pressed down which will actuate the bell crank 16, the latter in turn exerting a pull on the legs 26 of the draw-bar. The force thus exerted will urge the loose planking firmly against the xed planking, thus engaging their tongue and groove, the anchor plate, in the meantime, preventing displacement of the base member. The loose planking can then be nailed before releasing the treadle 20.

In cases where there is not a suflicient area or'iixed planking to support the tool, such as at the beginning of the flooring, the position of the draw-bar 26 may be reversed in relation to the base member 10 as shown in Fig. 4, that is, it may be rotated to a position rearwardly of the base member and its free end placed against the outside edge of a loose planking While the anchor plate 11 may rest on the sub-lioor or on a joist. Pressure on the treadle 20 will then cause the draw-bar to move in a rearwardly direction a sufiicient distance tobring the loose planking into firm juxtaposition to the fixed iiooring, whereupon the loose planking is nailed before releasing the treadle.

Any impressions made in the finish flooring by the projections on the anchor plate are usually of no importance since these impressions are slight and are removed in the sanding of the finished flooring.

Manifestly, the construction as shown and described is capable of some modifications and such modilication as may be construed to fall within the scope and meaning of the appended claims is also considered to be within the spirit and intent of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for aligning matched planking comprising an elongate base member, an anchor plate coextensive with and affixed to the underside of said base member, a bell crank pivoted to said base member on each side thereof, an elongate substantially U-shaped draw bar whose legs are disposed one on each side of said base member in normal parallelism therewith, each of said legs being pivoted at its end to an arm of said bell crank for rotation in an arc of at least a spring biased treadle aliixed to the other arms of said bell cranks above said base member and adapted, upon depression, to actuate said bell cranks to effect longitudinal displacement of said draw-bar in relation to said base member and means on the free end of said draw-bar for engaging a length of planking.

2. A device for positioning matched planking, comprising an elongate base member, a multi-toothed plate affixed to the undersurface of said base member adapted for flush engagement with and to preclude its displacement on a surface of planking, a bell crank pivotally attached to said base member on each side thereof, a substantially U-shaped draw-bar whose legs are disposed one on each side of said base member and pivotally connected to an arm of said bell crank for rotation about said base member, a lip on the free end of said draw-bar for engaging the edge of a length of planking in parallel adjacency to said planking surface, a spring biased treadle above said base member to the sides of which are afxed the companion arms of said bell crank, said treadle being effective to actuate said draw-bar to cause said length of planking to move into flush engagement with said planking surface.

3. A tool for aligning and positioning matched plank- Ying comprising a base member having a toothed undersurface for ilush engagement with assembled planking to preclude displacement thereof from operative position on said assembled planking a bell crank pivoted to each side of said base member, a substantially U-shaped elongate draw-bar having legs disposed one on each side of said base member in normal parallelism therewith said legs each being pivoted at its end to an arm of said bell crank whereby said draw-bar will be rotatable to dispose its free end beyond either end of said base member, a plank engaging lip on said free end of said draw-bar, a treadle supported by said 4bell crank operable to exert a pull on said draw-bar tending to urge a plank into juxtaposition with said assembled planking and means resisting downward movement of said treadle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 287,191 Swink Oct. 23, 1883 1,781,833 Cummer Nov. 18, 1930 1,851,489 Brook Mar. 29, 1932 2,197,404 Chapman et al. Apr. 16, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 134,138 Austria July 10, 1933 

